BTS member V criticized former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin after discovering that their KakaoTalk private messages had been submitted as court evidence in his legal battle with HYBE without his permission, although he acknowledged in those chats that girl group ILLIT seemed “similar” to NewJeans.
On February 20, V shared an Instagram story reacting to Korean media reports that his messages with Min were included in the lawsuit documents over the shareholder agreement between HYBE and Min Hee Jin.
He explained that the conversation was part of a private, everyday conversation with an acquaintance and stressed that he had “absolutely no intention of taking one side or the other” in the dispute, according to reports. allkpop.​
V added that he was “very surprised” and “embarrassed” that the messages were used in court without his consent. His statement signaled his discomfort at being drawn into the conflict.
According to ruling details reported earlier this week, the Seoul Central District Court accepted KakaoTalk exchanges between V and Min as evidence while examining Min’s claims that girl group HYBE ILLIT had copied NewJeans.
In the revealed conversation, V reportedly commented on the plagiarism controversy by saying that he too had looked at the situation and thought, “Ah, this is kind of similar,” referring to the concept of ILLIT versus NewJeans, MK reported.
The court ultimately ruled that Min’s allegation that ILLIT copied NewJeans should be treated as a value judgment. He decided that his observations were an opinion of general similarity rather than a concrete statement of fact
The ruling was part of a larger decision on February 12, when the court sided with Min in a put option lawsuit, ordering HYBE to pay her about 25.5 billion won after confirming her right to sell the shares back to the company.
While Min has gained legal momentum since that victory, the disclosure of V’s private messages has sparked a new debate among fans over privacy, consent and how much internal communications should be used in entertainment industry lawsuits.
V has now publicly distanced himself from both sides. HYBE, Min Hee Jin and related labels continue multiple ongoing legal battles, as per soompi.
